The Ohio Nurse Practice Act, set out in Chapter 4723 of the Ohio Revised Code, defines who can practice as a nurse in Ohio, what each license level is allowed to do clinically, and how the Ohio Board of Nursing licenses, renews, and disciplines nurses across the state. If you hold or are seeking an Ohio RN, LPN, or APRN license, the Act and the board’s administrative rules are the source of nearly every requirement that governs your practice.
What Each License Lets You Do
The Act draws firm lines between license types, and practicing outside those lines is one of the fastest routes to a disciplinary case.
Registered nurses have the broadest scope among non-APRN nurses. An RN independently assesses a patient’s health status, identifies nursing diagnoses, and initiates interventions based on clinical judgment, then coordinates care with physicians, pharmacists, therapists, and the rest of the team.1Ohio Board of Nursing. RN and LPN Frequently Asked Questions
Licensed practical nurses work under the direction of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, chiropractor, or RN. Independent health-status assessment is not part of the LPN scope. LPNs contribute to the RN’s assessment by collecting and documenting objective and subjective patient data and reporting it to the directing nurse or other team members.1Ohio Board of Nursing. RN and LPN Frequently Asked Questions An LPN may perform intravenous therapy on adult patients, but only at the direction of an authorized practitioner.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4723.18 – Licensed Practical Nurse Intravenous Therapy
Advanced practice registered nurses include certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse-midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists. APRNs have expanded clinical authority and, with a separate certificate, prescriptive privileges. Every APRN practicing as a CNP, CNS, or CNM must maintain a Standard Care Arrangement with a collaborating physician or podiatrist, whether or not they prescribe.3Ohio Board of Nursing. APRN Frequently Asked Questions
Prescribing Rules for APRNs
APRN prescribing sits inside several layers of limits. Your prescriptive authority can never exceed the prescriptive authority of the collaborating physician or podiatrist named in your Standard Care Arrangement, and you cannot prescribe anything on the exclusionary formulary, a list of drugs and devices set by board rule that is off-limits regardless of the collaborator’s scope.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4723.481 – Prescriptive Authority
Schedule II controlled substances are the tightest area. As a general rule, an APRN can prescribe a Schedule II drug only when all three of the following are true: the patient has a terminal condition, a physician initially prescribed the substance, and the prescription is for no more than a 72-hour supply. Those restrictions ease in specific settings, including physician-owned medical practices where the APRN collaborates with a physician owner who practices primarily at that site, and outpatient behavioral health practices treating mental health conditions or substance use disorders.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4723.481 – Prescriptive Authority
Prescribing controlled substances also requires federal DEA registration. Under the MATE Act, any practitioner applying for a new or renewed DEA registration must complete at least eight hours of training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.5Diversion Control Division, Drug Enforcement Administration. Opioid Use Disorder – MATE Act Q&A Graduates of an accredited program within the past five years whose curriculum included those eight hours can meet the requirement through their schooling.
Delegating Tasks Safely
Ohio law lets you delegate certain tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel, but you remain responsible for the outcome. Before handing off a task, you have to confirm that it falls within your own scope of practice, that the unlicensed person has the training and ability to perform it, that appropriate resources are available, and that adequate supervision will be in place.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4723-13-05 – Delegation of Nursing Tasks
Medication delegation is narrower than most nurses expect. Delegable medications are limited to over-the-counter topical medications applied to intact skin, over-the-counter eye drops, ear drops, suppositories, foot soak treatments, and enemas. LPNs face an additional constraint: they may delegate to unlicensed persons only at the direction of an RN.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4723-13-05 – Delegation of Nursing Tasks This is a common area for mistakes, and the board pays close attention.
Getting Licensed
Every Ohio nursing license starts with graduation from a nursing education program approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. The program must provide clinical and theoretical instruction appropriate to the license level. Applicants then submit an online application with a $75 fee.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Board of Nursing Agency Fees
A criminal background check is required before a license issues, including fingerprinting through both the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.8Ohio Board of Nursing. Licensing Forms and Guidelines It is not a one-time check. Through the FBI’s Rap Back service, the board enrolls licensees in ongoing monitoring, so any subsequent arrest or criminal disposition automatically triggers a notification to the OBN for the life of the license.9Federal Bureau of Investigation. Privacy Impact Assessment – NGI Rap Back Service
Candidates then sit for the NCLEX, which carries a $200 registration fee. APRN applicants have additional steps: national certification in the specialty area and a Certificate of Authority from the OBN before practicing in the advanced role.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Ohio nursing licenses renew on a two-year cycle, but the schedule differs by license type. RNs and APRNs renew during odd-numbered years, with the window running from July 1 through October 31. LPNs renew during even-numbered years on the same July 1 to October 31 timeline.10Ohio Board of Nursing. Renewal Schedule Renewal fees are $65 for RNs and LPNs and $135 for APRNs.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Board of Nursing Agency Fees
RNs and LPNs must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education each cycle, and at least one hour must cover the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and OBN rules. Nurses licensed by endorsement who have held the license for a year or less need only 12 contact hours for that first renewal period. APRNs holding a Certificate to Prescribe complete an additional 12 hours in advanced pharmacology on top of the base requirement, or six hours if the certificate has been held for less than a full renewal period.
The board approves CE providers and sets the standards for acceptable programs.11Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4723.06 – Board of Nursing Powers and Duties Random audits happen at renewal, and nurses selected must produce proof of completion. Missing the deadline moves the license to inactive status, which bars practice until reinstatement — a process that can require outstanding CE, additional fees, and sometimes a refresher course or another board-approved showing of current competency. Submitting false information about CE completion on a renewal application creates a separate disciplinary problem on top of the lapse itself.
Practicing Across State Lines
Ohio joined the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2023, alongside more than 40 other states that let qualifying nurses hold a single multistate license and practice across state lines.12Ohio Board of Nursing. Multistate Licensure To hold a multistate license, you must declare Ohio as your primary state of residence, shown by an Ohio driver’s license, Ohio voter registration, or federal tax filings using an Ohio address.
If your primary residence is in a non-compact state, you are not eligible for a multistate license and need individual licenses in each state where you practice. Telehealth follows the same rule: you generally need a license, or a multistate license that reaches, the state where the patient is physically located during the encounter.13Telehealth.HHS.gov. Licensing Across State Lines
Discipline and Its National Reach
When a nurse violates the Act or board rules, the OBN has a range of responses. Lighter measures include an advisory letter recommending additional education. More serious sanctions include monetary fines, probation, license suspension, and revocation.14Ohio Board of Nursing. OBN Complaint and Investigation Process A suspension bars practice entirely until conditions are met; a revocation can be permanent or for a stated period. Common grounds include patient neglect, falsifying records, substance abuse, and practicing beyond the license type. Certain criminal convictions, particularly drug-related felonies, can result in disqualification.
Ohio discipline does not stay in Ohio. State licensing boards are required to report adverse actions to the National Practitioner Data Bank, a federal repository tracking disciplinary history across states. Reportable events include suspensions, revocations, probation, voluntary surrenders made during an investigation, and even denials of renewal applications that come out of formal proceedings.15National Practitioner Data Bank. Reporting State Licensure and Certification Actions An NPDB report follows a nurse nationally and can affect licensure applications in every other state.
Safe Haven for Impaired Nurses
For nurses whose problem is substance use or a mental health condition rather than misconduct, the OBN launched the Safe Haven Program effective September 14, 2025, in partnership with the Ohio Professionals Health Program.16Ohio Board of Nursing. Safe Haven Program Announcement The program offers a confidential alternative to the formal complaint process.
A nurse who self-refers, or is referred by a colleague, contacts OhioPHP for a confidential well-being screening. The clinical team makes personalized recommendations, which may include further evaluation, counseling, or treatment. If a substance use disorder or another qualifying diagnosis is confirmed, eligible nurses can enroll in long-term therapeutic monitoring through the program instead of facing board discipline. OhioPHP uses a sliding fee scale. For nurses who reach out early enough, Safe Haven offers a route back to safe practice without a permanent mark on the disciplinary record.